Awww that's so sweet, thankyou

Thank you, yes indeed, I've still got some comics projects I'm working on, but 15 years of oversharing in this way just seems like enough for now. Hope you're doing well!

You can listen to the book on RNZ storytime - storytime.rnz.co.nz/book/maui-su...

But it's well worth checking out Zak's illustrations too so here's a video of Tim reading it and showing the illustrations: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mii8...

It's a modern retelling of Māui, using rhyme (in both Reo Māori and English - which I am truly impressed by) and illustrations that feel relatable and fresh. Tipene (Ngati Kuri and Ngati Whatua) says he wanted to create a character to inspire bravery www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/loc...

Māui - te kaihao i te rā (Māui - Sun Catcher) Written by Tim Tipene, illustrated by Zak Waipara, and reo Māori translation by Rob Ruha is the next book on our list. natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/...

Yes! I feel like he's got such an incredible ability to bring a page to life - the colours and textures specifically are so wonderful and rich! Feels like something you can just sit and soak up for a long long time

And check out this lovely reading and Q+A: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSYP...

It was Bishop's FIFTH time winning book of the year. There's a nice little write up about the book awards here on the spinoff, which highlights Bishop's work: thespinoff.co.nz/books/10-08-...

Gavin Bishop;s (Ngāti Pukeko, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Mahuta, Tainui) Atua swept the CYA book awards in 2022 winning the Margaret Mahy book of the year AND the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction AAAND the Russell Clark Award for Illustration.
www.teaonews.co.nz/2022/08/13/a...

It would be remiss of me to do a list of Māori comics and illustrated books (or other library items) and not mention Gavin Bishop. My problem is really which Bishop book to highlight! In the end I chose Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes: natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/...

If you're not a Te Whanganui-a-Tara resident you can check out our online exhibition that some of my colleagues have put together showing some of the amazing photos and ephemera in our collection to celebrate 50 years since the 1975 hīkoi:

natlib.govt.nz/collections/...

At the moment the Library is running a series of events form Aug-November called Mana Māori Motuhake: Māori rights and representation. There's a bunch of film screenings and some rolling exhibitions - well worth checking out:
natlib.govt.nz/events/mana-...

!!!!!! Yes!!

Ngā Tānga Reo Māori project has digitised, and is continuing to digitise, publications from Ngā Tānga Reo Māori: ngā kohikohinga me ōna whakamārama’ (Books in Reo Māori). You can read a bit about the project here, and how to use this resource on papers past:
natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/n...

Papers Past is a really helpful resource that the library offers (here's the site for it: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz) and the team have also been working really hard on a specific project to make sure that books and newspapers in te reo Māori are part of the collection, and accessible online

Today's resource isn't technically part of my portfolio area (cartoons, comics, illustrated books and children's literature) but it's a really amazing resource at the library, and so it feels appropriate to highlight on this thread...